The Incident
On July 23, 1983, Air Canada Flight 143, a Boeing 767, became one of the most famous planes in aviation history. The flight was scheduled from Montreal to Edmonton, but midway, at 41,000 feet, the aircraft ran out of fuel due to a series of miscalculations related to the metric conversion of fuel.
What followed was nothing short of a miracle in aviation history.
The Challenges
1. Complete Engine Failure
With no engines running, the Boeing 767 turned into a massive glider. Without power, the cockpit lost many critical instruments, including navigation aids and hydraulics. However, thanks to the plane's Ram Air Turbine (RAT), minimal hydraulic control and power were restored.
2. Finding a Landing Spot
Captain Robert Pearson and First Officer Maurice Quintal had to find a place to land. They decided to aim for a former air force base in Gimli, Manitoba, which had been converted into a racetrack. However, they weren’t aware that a car race event was happening at the time.
The Landing
The pilots executed an extremely difficult gliding maneuver, known as a sideslip, to reduce altitude and speed. Miraculously, they landed safely on the runway without any fatalities. However, one of the plane’s nose wheels collapsed after hitting a barrier.
Aftermath
The successful landing of Flight 143 is now studied as a textbook example of pilot skill, teamwork, and decision-making under extreme pressure. The incident also highlighted the need for improved fuel measurement systems.
I have a Plane Tag from the Gimli Glider airframe.
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